1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a thermal therapy system for providing moist heat, and more particularly, to a thermal therapy system for providing moist heat in vapor form to a desired treatment area of a patient.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Therapeutic treatment of a patient's skin can vary widely, to include such treatments as treatments for cleansing, treatments for preparation, conditioning, exfoliation and feeding, and burn treatment. Therapeutic treatments may also include premature infant treatment, pre-treatment for physiotherapy, and treatment of muscle and joint injuries.
The use of heat and cold for therapeutic purposes is well known. With respect to heat treatments, a majority of therapeutic systems and devices simply provide for the application of dry heat or moist heat. For instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,844,072 a liquid-circulating thermal therapy system is disclosed in which the liquid-circulating thermal therapy system circulates hot or cold liquid through a pad placed in thermal contact with the patient undergoing thermal therapy. The system includes a flexible thermal pad with an internal channel for carrying the liquid and a pump assembly for circulating and optionally heating the liquid. The patient-contacting surface of the pad comprises foam having a cushioned surface, further in which the foam comprises an open-cell foam structure for absorbing and retaining moisture for applying moist heat. One drawback of the '072 system is its inability to provide "moist heat in vapor form" for treatment of a desired area. In addition, the '072 system is not readily adaptable for introducing treatment additives to a moist heat in vapor form for altering a treatment as may be required for a particular type of treatment.
Another heat treatment device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,828. The '828 device includes a handle, a thermally conductive head secured to the handle, and a heating/cooling device inside the thermally conductive head. A bag filled with a thermally conductive fluid is mounted to the head for conforming to the surface of the body to which it is applied. Furthermore, a porous bag is employed if moist heat is desired. Similar as indicated above with respect to the '072 system, the '828 device lacks an ability to provide "moist heat in vapor form" for treatment of a desired area, and further is not readily adaptable for introducing treatment additives to a moist heat in vapor form for altering a treatment as may be required for a particular type of treatment.
Yet another treatment device includes an herbal steam facial device, such as is commercially available from KAZ, Inc., 41 Cross Street, Hudson N.Y. The herbal steam facial device principally comprises a vapor generator having a fixed molded housing for facial exposure to a heated vapor. While the herbal steam facial device provides a heated vapor, such a device is not well suited for a multiplicity of treatment applications.